Between funerals, part 1: James plays guitar and sings for his brother

Along with his large family and huge extended family, James Nageak buried his younger brother, Lloyd, today. In his speech, he stated that as the older brother he was supposed to be the first to go, but instead God had given him this pain to bear. The Reverend Dr. Nageak is a minister in the Presbyterian Church, a Phd and retired professor from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, where he developed Iñupiaq language study programs and taught.

In his speech, he also recalled what a bookworm Lloyd was and how he excelled at mathematics. He recalled going on an ugruk (bearded seal) hunt with Lloyd. They spotted an ugruk but it dove and swam away under water. Lloyd sat down in the boat, recited a mathematical formula, did some calculating, then guided the boat to a certain spot and told James to get his rifle ready. Sure enough, the ugruk surfaced right in front of him. Shortly after I took this picture at tonight's post funeral singspiration, James sang a duo with his sister, Priscilla Sage: When the Saints Go Marching In. He did a pretty good imitation of Louis Armstrong and he told a good story about how this song became part of his repertoire. I'll save that for another time.